As computer displays become cheaper to manufacture, user are more apt to choose higher resolution displays. In fact, due to the low cost of displays, many users have begun to link two or more displays together to provide a larger total display area with a greater number of pixels. However, users have also discovered that, as the total display area becomes larger, it becomes more difficult to control the on-screen cursor of a graphical user interface. There are essentially two types of cursor movement needed to fully control the cursor. First, a user needs to control the cursor with sufficient precision. That is, the user should expect to be able to control the cursor at high resolution, such as on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Such high resolution requirements are already needed for many software applications today, and one can expect even higher resolution requirements for new and future applications. This is especially important when using drawing or handwritten digital ink applications. Second, the user should be able to conveniently move the cursor from one end of the display area to the other. For example, it is ineffective and tiring for the user to make repetitive mouse movements simply to move the cursor and navigate across the display.
Unfortunately, these two needs are not compatible with each other using conventional cursor control systems. If the mouse is configured to move the cursor with high precision, then the cursor will not move very far for any given mouse movement. Likewise, if the mouse is configured to move the cursor over long distances efficiently, then the cursor will not be precisely controllable over smaller distances.